In a alarming escalation of extrajudicial killings, four individuals who had been forcibly disappeared were executed in staged encounters over the course of two days in Balochistan. These incidents underscore the persistent abuse of power and lack of accountability among state authorities, perpetuating a disturbing cycle of human rights violations in the region.
Details of the Victims:
Faqeer Jan, son of Syed Muhammad and a resident of Kunri Bazdad, was subjected to enforced disappearance twice. His first abduction occurred in 2016, after which he was eventually released. On September 26, 2024, he was forcibly disappeared again, and on November 30, 2024, he was killed in a staged encounter in the Buzdad Burbodonk area of Awaran.
Asa Baloch, son of Noor Deen and a resident of Paho, was forcibly disappeared on February 17, 2023. He was killed on November 30, 2024, in the same staged encounter alongside Faqeer Jan in Buzdad Burbodonk, Awaran.
Abid Hussain, son of Ghulam Hussain Umrani and a resident of Noor Gama in Khuzdar, was forcibly disappeared on October 28, 2017. His mutilated body was found on December 2, 2024, near the Zehri Ghazan Kocho road in Khuzdar. Identification slips attached to his body allowed his family to confirm his identity. His disappearance case had been documented by the Human Rights Council of Balochistan, and his mother had registered it with the Voice for Baloch Missing Persons (VBMP) on August 15, 2021.
Masti Khan, son of Gahoor Khan Lotani and also a resident of Noor Gama in Khuzdar, was forcibly disappeared on October 28, 2017. His body was found mutilated alongside Abid Hussain on December 2, 2024, near the Zehri Ghazan Kocho road. Identification slips similarly helped his family confirm his identity.
To mask these executions, state authorities falsely claimed that the deaths resulted from armed clashes with militants. These killings exemplify the systemic nature of extrajudicial executions in Balochistan, where state forces manipulate narratives to disguise enforced disappearances as armed encounters.
The impunity granted to perpetrators, coupled with the government’s complicity in promoting the military’s version of events, has allowed these violations to persist unchecked. The recurrence of fake encounters demands immediate action to uphold justice and accountability and address the ongoing human rights crisis in Balochistan.
